Konoha's Blade of grass
by Vallavarayan
Summary: A young Naruto is beaten to an inch of his life and is left for dead. Miraculously, he survives. After an impressive display by Naruto, a mysterious man takes interest in him and trains him in the Shinobi Arts. adopted from JayJay94 with his permission
1. Prologue

A/N:Well, this is the first chapter of the leaf's blade of grass, adopted from JayJay94, without whom this story would not exist, so, i would like to than him for allowing me to continue. The first 3 chapters will continue with only minor changes from his work.  
Naruto:Konoha's Blade of grass By Vallavarayan

Pairing: Naruto/Hinata

"Normal speech."

"**KYUUBI SPEECH."**

_'Normal __Thoughts.'_

_**'KYUUBU THOUGHTS'**_

**JUTSU's**

_Disclaimer:I(insert)Do(Legal)Not Own(Crap)NARUTO(Here). That honour goes to Kishimoto. I tried to buy the rights to naruto, but Hinata threteaned me with dire consequences if i came between her and her naruto. :-p  
_

_**The Leaf's Blade of Grass**_

"Ahh, stop it, stop it! It hurts! Why can't you leave me alone?" Six year old Naruto was being simultaneously dragged and beaten. The thrashing had continued for hours and hours and Naruto, who was barely conscious, knew this would be his last beating. He knew he was going to die. Easily deductible, usually his beatings would last an hour at the most, but it had stretched long past that limit. They had already transported him to some small village. He knew from the passing view of the Konoha gates and the low threats of their destination.

Naruto didn't want to die. But, maybe, if it would end all the pain, then he would gladly embrace death.

"Hehe…Demon, now you die for your deeds." Growled out a Chunin, the leader of this mob of villagers, and with that, they tied him to a post on the side of the road then fled the scene before Naruto finally lost consciousness.

xxxxx

"Hey kid, wake up. Wake up Blondie. Come on, let's go." An elderly farmer lightly slapped the currently unconscious Naruto on the cheek. The farmer had been on his way to the market in town when he spotted the bloody and bound boy. Finally after a minute's worth of trying, Naruto woke up very confused and annoyed.

"Mmmmm…where am I?" The boy asked, curious to know how he was still alive. Naruto had been sure that had been the last time that he would live in the world. He looked down to see why the pain that should have been in his body was absent. However all of his previous wounds had been healed somehow, causing Naruto's eyes to widen to the size of dinner plates.

"You're near the city Otafuku Gai. Do you know you're tied up to a post and why is there so much blood on you? I'm Mugi by the way." Mugi continued to talk to him while he used a knife to cut the ropes holding Naruto. He then helped the boy up before handing him a spare towel so he could clean up.

"Yeah, I was beaten by my villagers and just left here to die." Naruto answered sorrowfully as he worked on removing the bloodstains on his body. Unfortunately for Naruto, the clothes that he had been wearing were all but shredded and he would need to find another set soon.

At that comment the farmer looked very surprised and confused. For anyone to lose this much, especially a child was extremely dangerous. "My god, are you ok? I do not see any of your wounds. How are you alive with this much blood loss?"

Naruto was just as confused as the farmer, but tried to give a reasonable answer. "Well you see, I come from a ninja family and that's one of my awesome moves. I don't even feel hurt."

Naruto gave Mugi a sheepish smile, hoping that the kind old man would not push further on the subject. Luckily for him Mugi seemed to accept the answer after a bit of thinking. Naruto sighed, 'Phew that was a close one. I need to leave this place, it has too much blood.'

"Here, I know it's not much but it's better than nothing." Mugi threw a bright orange jumpsuit at Naruto for him to put on. Naruto quickly put the clothing on after catching them in the air. The clothes were a little big on him and they smelled like rotten cheese but at least it was something.

"Hey kid, what's your name?" Mugi inquired after a painfully awkward silence.

Naruto looked at Mugi straight in the eye, curious as to where this would go, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Well Naruto, I want to know where your parents are. I can't just leave you alone after what must have been a traumatic experience."

Well that was certainly something that Naruto had not been expecting. "I will be fine, Mugi-san. My parents are in one of the hotels in town." Naruto lied and dashed off toward where he thought Otafuku Gai was.

"Ok well I will accompany you to the hotel if you don't mind. I want to make sure tha- HEY where did he go?" Mugi looked around for the boy, who had vanished in thin air. 'How come stuff like this always happens to me? Oh well hopefully that boy will be alright.'

xxxxx

When Naruto finally made it to the city, he had tired out his body to the point where was having trouble staying awake. He had not stopped running since he left the old man and he had gotten lost quite a few times.

"Jeez finally I made it." Naruto said to himself before flopping down right under a tree, to stay in the shade. After Naruto had caught his breath and waited out the fatigue, he began to think about his current situation.

"I don't want to go back to Konoha! They're mean there, well besides the old man. Yeah I'll live on my own. That's it and then I'll grow strong as a ninja." He thought out loud, paused, then continued, "But first I need money and food."

Naruto stood up and wandered into a nearby thriving town to observe how normal people lived, grabbing an apple on the way. Since Naruto had been taken care of by the orphanage for his whole life, he did not know how to survive on the streets and would need to know how. While his time at the orphanage had not been very pleasant, at least he was given a bed and a meal.

As Naruto walked farther into the town, the more decorations and noise there was, giving the atmosphere a feeling of excitement. Naruto examined the crowd carefully from a shady alley, watching to see if there was some unknown secret. Naruto wasn't sure what he was looking for but he was positive he would know it when he saw it.

He sat there for some time, looking for anything that looked out of the ordinary that and then he spotted it. A ruff and tattered, nondescript man bumped into someone and pulled out a handful of notes, money most likely, from the person's pocket. The man then continued walking along at a sedate pace like nothing happened.

_Was that how you survived in this world?_ He thought to himself and followed the thief hastily, so Naruto could learn how to use this secret to survive. Naruto remembered something the Hokage Jiji told him awhile ago, something about stealing was bad, but shook it off. He would do whatever it took to survive on his own, even if he had to cheat and steal to do it.

"Hey mister, can you teach me how to do that? I want to know!" Naruto finally caught up to the man and gave him the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

The man had dark brown hair, filthy clothes and was practically covered in dirt from head to toe. The man looked confused for a second before he realized that the poorly clad boy was talking to him. He glanced around nervously to make sure no one else had caught him in the act.

"It's called pick-pocketing kid. Now leave before you get me in trouble." The man shoved him out of the way before trying to walk away again.

"Show me how!" Naruto however, stood in front of the man to stop him from leaving.

"Sorry kid, you shouldn't get yourself into something like this." Once again Naruto was shoved out of the way, however this time he fell and started to sniffle. At this the sea of people in the crowd started to stare at the scene.

'Oh crap, this kid is gonna get me in trouble.' He quickly bent over and picked the kid up.

"Hey come on son, are you hurt?"

Naruto shook his head at the question but continued to cry crocodile tears, hoping to prove his point. As the man walked with Naruto on his shoulder, he grumbled about stupid brats and bad karma. The two soon found a park, where it was nice and quiet so there would not be an interruption

"What the hell do you think your doing, getting me in trouble like that?" The man grumbled before throwing the boy on the ground.

"Teach me how to pick pocket" Naruto stuck out his finger at him and squinted his eyes in an angry gesture.

"Fine. Fine. I'll tell you if you just leave me alone." The man stuck out his chest and tried to look as impressive as possible.

"Now, listen well and listen good, 'cos I am going to tell this only once. Pick-pocketing is an art form. To be a good thief, you should be able to blend in with a crowd. You should then bump into someone and reach into their pocket at the same time, without them noticing, and just take whatever it is and walk away. Now that you know will you scram?" He then left the park in a fast walk.

"Alright, I will master this art of pick pocketing if it's the last thing I do!" Naruto vowed, equipped with a weird stance, as the thief had disappeared into the mass of people once more. He then set out onto the streets to practice the so called pick pocketing, and after many captures and scolding he would hopefully get the art down.

**2 Months Later**

"Man, my partner sure is a pain." A man wearing a cloak muttered.

He was sitting on a bench after having turned in a bounty in the current town. Just sitting, absentmindedly staring at the street in front of him, while his partner was off in the forest sacrificing to 'Jashin-sama.'

He had decided to just relax and wait until his partner would finally show up; he couldn't really force him to move with the abilities that he had. His current attention was on a boy no older than six or seven, with bright blonde hair and wearing a hideous orange jumpsuit. The runt was going on a pick-pocket marathon. The boy would approach someone, hug them, exclaiming 'Mommy' or 'Daddy' and leave with a wallet or piece of jewelry without them ever noticing. He had repeated this several times before the man became excited and decided to approach the boy. _'I could make a fortune with this kid.'_

"Hey, little boy with the orange clothes." He called out, hoping to catch the little boy before he left.

Naruto, after realizing that he was the one the man was addressing to, sprinted off into the crowds with the man not too far behind. Having superior speed, since he was a full-fledged ninja, he easily caught the boy and sped off with him until they reached the outskirts of the town. Setting him down, the boy made another attempt to escape, but stopped after hearing the threat to slice off his legs if he continued.

"I like you, what's your name?" He quizzed lightly, as if the recent kidnapping hadn't occurred. Kakuzu sat down at the base of a tree, observing the young boy carefully.

"Uzumaki Naruto, who are you?" Naruto responded cautiously, not trusting the man one bit.

"How would you like me to train you to become a ninja? I'm an extremely skilled one." It was an unexpected offer to Naruto and he wasn't sure if he wanted to take it. He had learned not to take offers from strangers the hard way. Although Naruto did want to be able to protect himself so maybe it was a chance willing to take.

"Maybe…but what do you want from me?" He was already inching away in case the situation proved dangerous.

"Nothing, well, at least not right now. When you become stronger, I want a third of all the money you make on missions." The ninja replied calmly, stepping a little closer to the boy. He could feel how scared the little kid was and it was entertaining to see him squirm.

"What? Why would I go on missions if I'm not a part of a village?"

"You will one day, but for now, do you want training or not?" Kakuzu motioned for his guest to take a seat, so they could further acquaint themselves.

However Naruto, still stubborn and guarded, chose to lean against a tree instead of sitting. "Yeah, so what's your name?"

"My name, boy, is Kakuzu."

* * *

A/N: This is my first work( and even this is actually an adoptation of JayJay94's work) so, any and all constructive criticism will be helpfull.

Please review.


	2. Chapter 2Shinobi:Apprentice

"Normal speech."

"**KYUUBI SPEECH."**

_'Normal __Thoughts.'_

_**'KYUUBU THOUGHTS'**_

**JUTSU's**

_Disclaimer:I(insert)Do(Legal)Not Own(Crap)NARUTO(Here). That honour goes to Kishimoto. I tried to buy the rights to naruto, but Hinata threteaned me with dire consequences if i came between her and her naruto. :-p_

Chapter: 2-Shinobi:Apprentice

**A Couple Months Later**

**Unknown Location**

Naruto and Kakuzu were residing in a dimly lit cave, holding all the necessities of a household. Bookshelves lined the walls holding a great number of books, one area was a small kitchenette, and another was the entrance to a bathroom holding a spring for a bathtub, two futons and finally the corner of the room where the two of them sat at, a table. Naruto had grown used to the dim and dark nature of his home and had grown to like it.

The atmosphere of the room was tense with anticipation and the two were currently having a staring match, trying to read the other for any indication on their next course of action. One would have thought the two were statue by how still they were currently being.

Littered across this table was the object of their attention and Naruto had just begun his training on one of the most evil but entertaining arts. Kakuzu found that the boy had a natural talent when it came to the subject that they were on. Kakuzu planned to mold the boy into an intense machine and there was no doubt that he would be great.

"Brat, the truth to being successful in this dangerous world of ours is to win at all cost. If you cannot do this then you are a failure at life, and I will not hesitate to kill you if that happens." Kakuzu continued the lecture he had been giving the little boy, before rearranging the contents on the table once more. Kakuzu grinned inside of his head; he would definitely win this time.

The two of them stared at each other with a critical eye before simultaneously slapping their hands on the table. They studied the table once more, comparing the new information with the old. They looked for anything that might throw off their plans, making sure to double check everything.

Kakuzu compared the two hands and sighed in frustration, and glared at the hyper-active boy for good measure. 'There goes another one hundred ryu. I hate losing money.' "Your luck is unnatural! It's like you have your own factory producing your luck" The sensei growled out.

"Yatta! A Full House beats a flush sensei." Naruto gave Kakuzu the peace sign while he raked in a decent pile of chips.

The boy just had an insane amount of luck and Naruto had enough knowledge of the game by now to know when he should play different hands. While he did not like losing, he would always be happy to let him loose in a casino, using a modified henge. The ways to make money with this boy were endless. Although he wished the boy would take life more seriously and not be so loud.

"A ninja must be calm and collected at all times if he is to avoid suspicion."

Naruto looked at his sensei, knowing that he was displeased with his behavior. "I know sensei, but since we are not being ninja right now we don't have to worry right?"

Kakuzu looked at him in annoyance and wondered if Naruto was worthy of his time. "While a normal child may be able to get away with such actions, you are on the wanted list of the Akatsuki. If you act like an idiot you will bring attention to yourself, meaning you die."

When his sensei said that, Naruto was at a loss for words. He knew about the Akatsuki, the organization that was after him for Kyuubi. At any moment Kakuzu could turn Naruto in, so he tried his best to be useful and stay on his good side, but sometimes he couldn't help it.

Kakuzu looked away from him and shook his head in aggravation, before standing up. "Work on your Taijutsu and Kunai training. It needs improvement, and don't forget to increase your weights on a weekly basis... I'm leaving." With that, Kakuzu left the cave in a blur.

Naruto stared at the space his sensei had stood in the moment before he disappeared. Nothing ever seemed to be enough for him nor was he ever impressed with Naruto's progress. Naruto ran out of the cave and into the training field and made a vow to be stronger by the time Kakuzu returned from wherever, before starting his daily work-out.

xxxxx

**River Country: Location unknown**

Ten transparent, glowing figures shimmered into existence inside of an empty pitch black chamber. No one spoke a word, waiting until their leader decided it was the right time to break the silence. The tension in the air was thick, even though none of the Nin were actually in the chamber physically.

"As you know each member of Akatsuki is assigned their own bijuu to detain. Throughout the existence of the Akatsuki we have kept tabs on each bijuu, to make sure that they could be harvested when the time came. Uzumaki Naruto, vessel of the Nine Tails, has disappeared and must be located. It is vital to the success of Akatsuki for all of the bijuu to be harvested. However do not confront the nine tails yet, the preparations have not been made. Locate him only." The one known as Pein spoke as he studied each of the Nin that had gathered.

Kakuzu remained silent during the petty banter that followed Pein's announcement, deep in thought on what his next move would be. Kakuzu knew that he would die if Pein found out that he was hiding and training the Kyuubi vessel, but he also knew that he would earn a lot of money from the brat. What was more important, the risk of his life or making money from a brat? He decided that the latter was the right choice. That was the reason that he would not turn Naruto into the Akatsuki.

Another reason was that Kakuzu did not trust Pein. When Kakuzu had been recruited into the Akatsuki he had been bribed with all the riches he wanted, but now he had reason to believe that that was false. He could see Pein's ulterior motive within all of these plans, and it would be nice to have a bargaining piece if it came down to it.

After a few more minutes of discussion the lights inside of the chamber flickered out.

**One Year Later**

Naruto's training had been extremely successful in the time that he was with Kakuzu-sensei. He had learned how to access his chakra and control it better by walking up trees, walking on water, and other chakra control exercises. Naruto had to spend almost four and a half months alone, to get his control to his sensei's idea of an acceptable level. Although once he did learn it, he was finally able to master the Bunshin, Henge, and Kawarimi Jutsu. His taijutsu was at an average level, well for an academy student that is, and Naruto's studies were passable.

Another major part of his training was on how to survive, especially when his sensei got mad at him and attacked. The first time that he had experienced one of sensei's rampages Naruto had spent a whole week in bed from injuries. Thankfully he had been healed by the Kyuubi or else he would have died from blood loss.

Luckily, or unluckily for Naruto, he had met the damn fur ball after he lost consciousness from one of Kakuzu's attacks and he had been given an explanation to all of it, but he did almost piss himself once he had found out. After that the Kyuubi had been plaguing his dreams with murder and battle and he often woke up screaming.

At the moment though, Naruto was standing in front of his sensei in the clearing outside of their hidden cave, waiting for his next training session. Naruto tried to prepare himself for what was to come by building up his resolve. Kakuzu called them training sessions but he called them torture sessions. By the end of the day he would not be unable to move with multiple broken bones and fractures, but because of the fox, Naruto would always be fully healed in the morning. Something that Kakuzu took advantage of in their training.

"Naruto what is your goal in your life."

Naruto was taken by surprise by the sudden question and said the first thing that came to mind. "I want to earn recognition as THE world's strongest ninja, no matter the cost."

Kakuzu pondered on the words that his peculiar and boisterous student spoke. "Will you do anything to reach that goal?"

"Hai Kakuzu-sensei"

'While he is very annoying and loud and sometimes... no,most of the time I want to chop off his head, he is determined and will do anything to gain power. And if everything goes my way I'll be makin' barrels of money in no time. Yes I have found a worthy pupil.'

Kakuzu went through a set of ancient hand seals at a fast pace before he slammed both hands into the ground. "Kinjutsu: Shitai Nuime no Jutsu (Body Suture Technique)"

Then out of nowhere the grass around Naruto grew to impossible length, before thrusting into his body. The grass wound all the way around his entire body, even going through his neck, making a stitching pattern in the process. This was the effect of the Jutsu.

All Naruto felt was unimaginable pain and he thought he could hear himself screaming, although he wasn't sure. The world seemed to be getting hazy and he could feel nausea. Naruto hunched over and began to vomit, noticing the blood that was mixed in. Then the only other thing that Naruto remembered was Kakuzu catching him once he fell, and everything went black.

The process would take about an hour, while the grass that would be intertwined in Naruto's body, interconnecting many of his body parts, including his limbs and organs. Once Naruto woke up, if at all, he would have the same powers as Kakuzu, except that Naruto would have grass. It would take a lot of training but Naruto would eventually have as much control over his grass, as Kakuzu had over his black tendrils. The fusion had a low chance of survival, almost as low as twenty percent, because of the dangers he would be put in by removal and replacement of so many body parts. It was lucky for Naruto that he contained the Kyuubi, the success of the Jutsu would dramatically increase because of the fox healing the boy.

Although Kakuzu had to do some other things, he would stick around for the duration of the fusion, to see if his pupil lived through it.

xxxxx

**Later That Day**

The sky had gotten dark while Kakuzu waited for Naruto to undergo the transformation. The process had taken longer than it should have, because of the Kyuubi healing Naruto's body and the fact that grass he never been used with the Shitai Nuime Jutsu before. These two together caused the Jutsu to take two extra hours and because of this, Kakuzu was not sure what the results of the transformation would be.

When Naruto finally woke up he jolted up in his bed with a violent start. Naruto's breathing was ragged, his face flushed, and his shirt was drenched in sweat. He looked around the room frantically, laying eyes on his sensei, making him calm down slightly.

"What...the hell...was that?"

"That was a Jutsu that I performed, giving you the same powers as me."

Kakuzu strode over to the bedridden boy and compared the stitching on his arms to the stitching on Naruto's arms. Hearing this Naruto looked on even more surprised. The possibilities with Kakuzu's ability were endless and Naruto would never have to have a problem with again, something he resented.

"Naruto this is the next step in your training." Kakuzu motioned for his pupil to stand up and come over to him.

Naruto shakily got out of his bed before slowly walking towards his sensei. At the moment Naruto was at a loss for words. The transformation was really tiresome and he did not have a lot of energy like he usually did.

"Now come, we have training to do before I have to leave again."

Naruto groaned. Training right after what he went through would be horrible.

The two walked out of the cave and into their private training field. Then Kakuzu gave Naruto a blank piece of paper, with a slight chakra output coming from it. Naruto held the paper in his hand and waited for further instruction on the piece of paper.

"Put chakra into that, it will decide your elemental affinity."

Naruto looked at him confusedly but did so anyways. Half the things that his sensei did, he did not understand, but there was usually a reason behind them. What happened next though, was not something that was expected, nor something that should be possible.

Instead of the paper splitting in half or getting soaked, it turned green and started to grow at a slow pace, but stopped after a couple seconds. Naruto looked at the change in the paper, trying to decipher what it meant. Finally discovering nothing new about the paper besides the color and size change, Naruto gave up on it.

"What's the point of this Kakuzu-sensei?" Naruto handed the paper off to him so he could examine it. He didn't know what this meant and he decided that it was better for Kakuzu to figure everything out.

Kakuzu looked very close at the paper and tried to figure out what this could mean. Naruto obviously had an abnormal elemental affinity, which could make him a very dangerous foe. There had been many sub-elements used by ninja in the past, like the clan in Mist who used the Hyouton Jutsu. He tried to think of what element was being hinted at and if this was a result of the change made by the Shitai Nuime Jutsu or if it was a bloodline. He would just have Naruto experiment with different elemental manipulation exercises and see if his chakra reacted to anything.

"Naruto grab a leaf and come over here." Kakuzu motioned for him to hurry and waited until he came over, "Now I want you to try and make a change in the leaf using your chakra."

Naruto did not question the order and just concentrated on the task that he was given. He didn't know when but he had closed his eyes while he tried to accomplish the task. Nothing seemed to be happening though and his head was kind of hurting after he tried for a couple minutes.

Naruto growled, "Nothing's happening, this is stupid."

Kakuzu just glared at his stupidity, "Don't force it you idiot."

Naruto tried again but this time he tried to look for something he could change with chakra, but after a few minutes with nothing happening once again, Naruto grew angry with the task.

_'Stupid leaf won't do anything_.' He grew so angry with the task that he really just wanted to throw the stupid leaf away, causing him to unconsciously push a little more chakra into the leaf. As the chakra built up inside the leaf, it started to tremble in Naruto's hand until the leaf literally shot out of Naruto's hand like a speeding bullet, heading straight for Kakuzu.

Kakuzu was so surprised by the action that he almost didn't dodge out of the way, gaining a slight nick in his ear before hitting the ground in a roll. From his place on the ground, Kakuzu glared at Naruto for the sudden attack, but he was more surprised than angry.

'So the boy is a Mokuton user...No, he would have had to have both Earth and Water elements to have the Mokuton ability. So it was the Shitai Nuime that caused this effect. My guess is that when the grass interconnecting that many parts of Naruto's body, the chakra residing in the grass must have combined with the Kyuubi's chakra that was healing Naruto and his own chakra to create a new plant element.'

Kakuzu summed up his thoughts quickly and walked over to the still stunned and confused Naruto. "Now let's learn the full extent of your new powers."

At this Naruto paled. Whatever was in store for him, he was sure it would involve pain. And a lot of it.

**Five Years Later**

Naruto was currently in a densely wooded area with a vast variety of wildlife gathered around him. The ground was partly covered in shade from the tall tree's above and the occasional shrub every few feet. The birds sung their high pitched songs, the squirrels chattered about, and a doe and its fawn nibbled at the grass. The overall scene in the forest was one of peace and quiet.

For pants he wore dark brown cargo jeans with a good number of pockets that went up to the bottom of his knees. Inside of these pockets were of course the usual kunai and shuriken that all ninja had and other various weapons. On his upper body Naruto had a partly unzipped hoody with green and tan camouflage, showing his white undershirt underneath, while his hood covered his hair when he was on missions. Wearing these clothes, Naruto, despite his bright blond hair, blended in perfectly with the environment.

Naruto was always drawn towards the beauty of nature and would spend much of his time studying and interacting with it. When he was upset or angry this was where he would come to think rationally or gain control over his emotions. At the moment he was hunched over in a squat position, observing worker bees collect pollen from a chrysanthemum. At the moment, his thoughts were on the amount of improvement he needed to grow stronger and the harsh training that his sensei had put him through the past years.

After Naruto had undergone the change from the Body Suture Jutsu, he had gained a great amount of control over the plants at his disposal. One of the abilities he had was the short amount of time that he had control over plants outside of his body. The trick to his ability was that when his transformed chakra was introduced to the plant, he could move and direct it at will with his chakra. However the chakra that he applied to that plant would wear off after twenty seconds or so.

Although Naruto liked this ability, he found more potential in the use of the grass blades that were attached to his body. He had full control over the movement of the thick, sharp grass blades. Naruto had full control over the grass and there was always chakra running through them. Because of this, he could always rely on his grass.

Besides that Naruto also had the ability to grow plants at a faster rate than normal, and bring a dead plant back to life, his special chakra acting as a stimulant. This had furthered his ability to manipulate the plants movement and made him a very dangerous foe. He had not fully gotten the hang of it but he was still fairly good at it.

As for the rest of his arsenal Naruto had around ten elemental Jutsu, Shunshin, the three basic Jutsu, and his favorite, the Kage Bunshin. While he always liked to stick with his plants, it was always handy to have other Jutsu at his disposal. For Taijutsu he had increased his speed and strength to a level at which he was quite adept at dodging. Naruto was taught a simple and basic style because he did not have much use for close combat with his fighting style. And finally Naruto had learned a few low level Genjutsu and how to dispel mid- to high-level illusions.

Overall he felt that while he was extremely strong, around Chunin level, for his age but he wanted to get stronger. He wanted to prove to everyone that he was capable of anything and that he wasn't the Kyuubi. He would grow to be one of the strongest shinobi in the world, which would earn him a lot of money.

Naruto stood up from the ground, looking towards a specific spot in one of the trees in the area. "Well are you going to make yourself known or not?" Naruto spoke in a monotonous tone, leaving no expression on his face. When it came to business, Naruto never joked around. He could switch from his jolly old self to a cold killer in seconds, which was real useful.

The spying figure appeared in the clearing along with a stuffed briefcase, completely filled with ryu notes. "Why hello Naruto-kun, Are you well?"

"Cut the crap and get down to business. I would like to get this over with as soon as possible." Naruto glared at the man. The man just got under his skin with his overly nice act.

"My, My. Such language at such a young age." The man continued with a smirk. He just loved getting the blond all riled up. "Anyways, I must say you did an excellent job of obtaining that information on Iwa for us and we will be sure to use you in the future." After that was said the case was thrown towards the blonde, catching it with ease.

Naruto looked inside of the case and counted the money quickly. He had to make sure he was not being tricked. There was no Genjutsu on the ryu, nor was the money counterfeit. That was good, but he would still keep an eye out for anything suspicious. "Yes I am very proficient at stealth and infiltration. Anyway, you know where to contact me for another job. I' am outta here."

With that over and done with, Naruto took one last look at the colorful flowers before making his way out of the clearing. The man glared at the back of the sun kissed blonde's head. He threw a kunai knife at Naruto at a high speed, making almost no noise as it sailed through the air. The man followed up by running up to Naruto, low to the ground and ready to strike Naruto if needed, but to his surprise his target disappeared, leaving a log with a sticky note on it. He stood up right from his position and cautiously grabbed the sticky note.

The note read "Oh yea and if you ever betray me again, I will kill you in the most painful way possible... Kabuto-kun'"

Kabuto stood in the clearing, staring at the direction Naruto had gone off to and pondering on the blond enigma. Orochimaru will want to hear about the abilities that Naruto-kun possessed. Walking away, he noticed the retreating backs of the two deer, bounding away in a zigzag pattern.

xxxxx

**One Day Later**

As Naruto entered the training ground that lead to his cave/home, he knew something was off. Everything was quiet, even the animals of the forest. He looked around, noticing that the surrounding area was in a state of disrepair. There were trees broken and tossed around, scorch marks on the ground, upturned earth, and there was even one of the bodies of tendrils that his sensei used on the ground, wearing the mask with a lightning kanji on it.

Naruto followed the path of destruction, leading to the roof of the cave and a couple hundred feet back. The scene that he witnessed was even worse than that of before. There was not an untouched object in sight and right in the middle of it was his sensei and two Nin that he recognized as Itachi and Kisame. All three were currently breathing hard and trying their best to stay standing, with both parties bleeding and looking worse for wear.

As fast as he could, Naruto sprinted over to his sensei's side, and glared at the two Akatsuki members. He knew that the Akatsuki would find out that he was being hidden by Kakuzu one day, but he did not expect it so soon. How did they find out where he was?

"How the hell did you find out?"

Kisame chuckled maniacally, smiling his toothy grin that made him look like a shark. "That Kabuto kid told Sasori everything."

Kakuzu turned his attention to his pupil, thankful for his appearance. With Naruto here, the odds would be evened easily, because while Naruto was definitely not at the level of Itachi and Kisame, he was still fresh and uninjured. "Naruto, do not look into Itachi's eye's. They're dangerous"

Naruto looked at his sensei confusedly but took the advice anyways and opted to stare at the torsos of the two opposing Nin. "Got it, so are you about ready to finish this thing up?"

Kakuzu did not answer, instead releasing one of the two remaining elementals from his body, fire, and expanding his body with black tendrils. Naruto too, expanded his body with his own grass blades and shot a deadly pattern of grass blades curving towards Itachi and Kisame from 3 different directions. This surprised the two and they hastily dived to the side of the attacks trajectory. During that short amount of time both Kakuzu's fire elemental and Naruto went through the hand signs for a Jutsu.

Both finished at a synchronized time and Kakuzu shouted "Katon: Zukokku no Jutsu (Head Mincing Pain)", while Naruto shouted "Fuuton:Atsugai(Bleeding force)" A flaming mass that was emitted from Kakuzu's mouth's hit a giant gust of fast moving wind coming from Naruto, increasing in intensity and speed and sped along the ground, incinerating everything that it passed. The flames quickly advanced on the downed Akatsuki Nin, who were still recovering from the last attack. It looked like the two Nin were in serious trouble and that this would be the end, but at the last minute Itachi activated Amaterasu. The black flames, though superior to ordinary flames, had some difficulty with the wind enhanced flames and barely cancelled the Katon-Futon Jutsu.

Itachi had not wanted to resort to something that was lethal, but it could not be helped. It was either Amaterasu or die from the flaming mass. Since both Kisame and himself had been fighting Kakuzu for a good hour or so, they were pretty worn out and if you added that to using Amaterasu once this, it was taking a serious toll on Itachi.

When Naruto had performed the Jutsu, he had expected the two foes to end up rolling on the ground in flames, but he did not expect a wave of black fire the size of a house to cancel their attack. By the time the flames dissipated, the 2 Akatsuki members had disappeared.

Naruto was about to try and chase after the two nin, hopefully to finish them off but upon seeing that the threat had been neutralized, Kakuzu decided it was a good time to fall into unconsciousness. Naruto cursed his luck; he couldn't just leave his sensei or else something would happen to him.

Sighing, Naruto picked up his sensei piggyback style and started his journey away from the battle site, stopping by the cave to gather anything of value into storage seals before burning everything else.

* * *

Jutsu list:

Shunshin:Body flicker

A high-speed movement technique. It is described as 'appearing with the wind and disappearing like the wind.' A very basic jutsu that by using chakra to activate the body, the user is able to move from one point to another with extreme speeds. This super-fast movement is almost impossible to see with the naked eye. To a normal person, it would seem as if the user has teleported. The amount of Chakra used depends on the distance and elevation between the user and the destination

Kage Bunshin:Shadow Clone

Is a forbidden, Jonin level technique. It allows the user to split their chakra, and create solid clones, that have the ability to use chakra, weapons, and fight. The clones, however, are rather weak, and disappear into a puff of smoke when hit. One of the most useful aspects of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, is the fact that when the clones are destroyed, the information gathered in the clones "lifetime" is immediately sent back to the user, making the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu perfect for spying, and information gathering missions and for those with the chakra, training.

Katon: Zukokku no Jutsu Fire release: Head mincing pain

Releases a huge stream of fire-B Rank

Fuuton:Atsugai: Wind release: Bleeding force(or Pressure Damage)

releases a giant gust of wind that can level a whole -low B to S-damage, both blunt and cutting depends on the amount of chakra put into the attack.

* * *

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter-again, only minor changes from JayJay94's version. The original should be coming out from the next chapter onwards. And click on that big shiny button. I know you want to.(mutters about contracting a Jedi to try and use mind tricks to get readers to review the next time.)


	3. Chapter 3:Escape!

A/N: I am extremely sorry about the long wait and the short chapter. Please don't kill me! I had my end sem exams and my final year project guide was very demanding. And even after my exams were over, when I got down to writing the chapter, I had bits and pieces of DSP and Probability swimming through my head preventing me from writing properly  Sigh, anyways, the next chapter will be out in 4-5 days. 7 days top and will be a lot longer. Has already reached 2 k words. Hope you people like this.

"Normal speech."

"**KYUUBI SPEECH."**

_'Normal Thoughts.'_

_**'KYUUBU THOUGHTS'**_

**JUTSU's**

**Escape**

Naruto grunted as he shifted Kakuzu's body into a more comfortable position, picked up the storage scroll and slung it on his back. After checking to make sure that the scroll was tied securely on his back, he set off towards the closest settlement. Naruto was, for the first time since apprenticing under Kakuzu, was truly worried. With his sensei missing 3 out of his 5 hearts, he was limited to his fire and earth elementals and would take at least 6-7 days to recover from his chakra exhaustion. Naruto, for all his training was still a kid. And like all kids his age, believed that he was immortal. And while unlike most other kids, he truly was immortal, or as close as it was possible to be for a human , he had no delusions of his fate if he met any more Akatsuki members. He knew that to have a chance of survival, he needed to make sure his sensei recovered. He realized that till then, his only defense was in stealth and lying low. Having decided that, He gathered chakra and screamed "**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" and created at least a thousand Kage Bunshins.

"Alright! You know what to do. The ones on the right! Team up in two's. Use Henge to spread a false trail. The rest of you spread out and find a someplace we can lay low. Make sure you are not followed, you hear me! Use EVERY trick in the book. Double back, use the rivers, take some of these notes. I want rooms rented out all over Hi no kuni! That should muddy the trail enough. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Jump to it!"

"Sheesh. Hai hia. We get it. Now stop panicking." One of the clones grumbled out before the whole lot scattered out in different directions. Naruto took a deep breath to steady himself and took off with Kakuzu.

**Akatsuki Hideout: Location unknown**

Pein and konan were waiting patiently for news from 2 of their members who had been dispatched to collect the Kyuubi no Yoko's jinchuuriki (sp?), confident in the belief that they were one step closer to their goal. After all, 2 SS class members had gone to capture an 11 year old boy. How hard could it be?

The other members for the most part were waiting patiently to discover why their master had summoned them so suddenly when the next meeting was supposed to be 2 years away. I say mostly because some of the members were worse than a 10 year old boy on a caffeinated sugar high. Deidara was seen fidgeting, barely able to contain himself from show casing his 'art' while Zetsu was arguing with himself. Deidara finally cracked and spoke to the leader.

"Leader-sama, we have been waiting for nearly 1 hour, Un. and you still have not told us why we were summoned." The other members, Zetsu, Konan, Sasori, Tobi and Hidan tensed. Only those with a death wish questioned the leader of Akatsuki. And even then, only the mad ones.

Pein's eye twitched. He really hated it when his underlings spoke out of turn-usually it ended with blood. A lot of it. "Usually that would signal your end, but seeing as how we are going to be one step closer to our goal today, I am going to let it go without ripping out your arms. But make sure that does not happen again. GOT IT?"

Deidara hastily nodded his head, not daring to speak out.

All of the members tensed slightly when the perimeter alarm seals were tripped signaling that someone had entered the cave, but relaxed when the seal array informed them that it was a ring holderr who had tripped the alarms. Two figures hobbled inside before the larger, and… more colorful of the two finally spoke.

"Mission failed. The gaki got away."

For the first time in Akatsuki history the response of the members was universal.

"…"

There was absolute silence for 10 seconds before one of the waiting nin hesitantly spoke, "Err, come again? I think that my age might be catching up to me, because for a second there I could have sworn that I heard 2 S class Ninjas say that a 11 year old boy escaped from them."

Itachi replied in a monotone, "I have bad news for you, Leader-sama. Kakuzu has gone rogue. When we arrived at the place pointed to by Sasori's spy, we found Kakuzu there as well. When we approached him about the Kyuubi he attacked us. We almost had him when the boy arrived. He managed to, with Kakuzu's help, neutralize my Amaterasu. At which point we retreated."

This was followed by a predictable silence for a minute after which Deidara decided that it had been too long since he tasted his feet and uncertainly spoke. "Un. I still get to keep my arms right?"

"AAAAARGH!"

A/N: I still don't have a beta. So, if you feel that I need to make some changes, please msg me. sorry about the delay- and this is not a chapter as you have seen- i was notified about some spelling mistakes i made- and i decided to correct them and to inform you readers that the next chapter should be out in 2 days-3 days top. chapter got delayed due to my sem exam.


	4. Chapter 4:The Great Hunt

_A/N:I am extremely sorry about the long wait. I have just finished my last sem and it has been a hellish 6 months. Right after I finished my sems I had to join at an office and have been very very busy. Updates will be much faster from here on out, I assure you_"

Normal speech."

"**KYUUBI SPEECH."**

_'Normal Thoughts.'_

_**'KYUUBU THOUGHTS'**_

**JUTSU's**

_Disclaimer:I(insert)Do(Legal)Not Own(Crap)NARUTO(Here). That honour goes to Kishimoto. I tried to buy the rights to naruto, but Hinata threteaned me with dire consequences if i came between her and her naruto. :-p_

The great Hunt

It was a fine day in the country of fire. The sun shone brightly in the wake of early morning and people were seen starting their daily chores. Huge gates stood open providing entry to what seemed like a prosperous village. Strangers hurried inside the gates often muttering about "money", "missions" and "ninja". Near the gates, a small shack housed two gatekeepers who were watching the crowd very carefully. One of them yawned and grumbled about "having to wake up early."

Konohagakure No Sato, as the village was named, was one of the five great ninja villages. Also referred to as the hidden village of the leaf, it had witnessed many extraordinary ninjas performing unthinkable feats here. People gazed up in wonder at a mountain which had four faces carved at the very top. Many went off to find the ninja mission registration building while a few wandered aimlessly, enjoying a peek at what was being cooked at the famous Ichiraku Ramen stand, suddenly hitting themselves on the head for forgetting their duties and ran off to find their destination.

From the terrace of a building overlooking the stone faces on the mountain, Sarutobi Hiruzen calmly glanced at the Hokage monument. All was well in Konoha. Except for one small fact. He had been troubled to hear that Naruto had been thrown out of the village by an unruly mob. The number of years he held the title of Sandaime, the third Hokage, weighed heavily on him. He could tell that the boy was lonely in the few years he had spent in Konoha and yet he, the Hokage himself, had done nothing about it. His gaze shifted to the face of the fourth Hokage carved into the mountain and his hands clenched. Everyone among the adults knew and remembered the horrific incident many years ago. The Kyuubi's spirit was never one to be reasoned with, not when it was busy making short work of the village. And the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, had used _THAT_ Jutsu in order to protect the village from the ruthless Kyuubi.

Sarutobi was well aware of the Reaper's Death Seal and the extreme price which was required to be paid. He shuddered a little at the thought of using it, reminding himself that the Death God consumed the user's soul in exchange to seal another. But Minato had not hesitated when he knew what was at stake. He had protected the village at the cost of his own life and sealed the Kyuubi into the belly of his son Naruto, his son. Now that Sarutobi came to think about it, he remembered that he had forbidden anyone to mention the truth to the children. Naruto himself didn't know who his parents were. Although he didn't express it externally, Sarutobi had moments of remorse which told him that Naruto would have been happier had he known who his parents were. He was going over everything that he had been forced to do over the years. Most of which were things he seemed to regret when suddenly someone appeared behind him.

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi turned to see a Chuunin class ninja bending his knee. He had a scar right across his mature looking face and a questioning look as to why he had been summoned.

"Ah yes. I wanted to talk to you regarding some important matters. I trust everything is well at the Academy, Iruka?"

"Fine Hokage-sama, thank you for asking."

"Good", said Sarutobi and paused for a moment before he asked, "So are the young ninjas ready for their graduation ceremony? When do you think they will be worthy of the forehead protector?"

Iruka smiled and rose steadily.

"I say we hold the test as soon as possible Hokage-sama. Most of them show immense potential to become great ninjas in the future. It would only hold them back to delay it any longer."

Sarutobi's face radiated happiness. _The young leaves have finally started to bloom faster_, he thought.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Yes?"

Iruka's smile disappeared to be replaced with a sad expression. "Don't you…..don't you think even Naruto would have become a final year student by now?" he said.

Sarutobi quickly arranged his facial feature into what he hoped was a calm look. "I don't think I could think of Naruto's plight right now Iruka. I only pray that the boy is found safe. Have the rogue people been identified?"

"No. We are still investigating as to who had Naruto thrown out. I think it's a conspiracy. You know how the adults used to treat him."

Sarutobi's expression was now unreadable. "I see. We need to concentrate more on this. If word gets out, then other villages might look at us as a possible target. Akatsuki will seize that chance to forward their goals. So many negative possibilities… Do tell Ibiki to interrogate suspects if any are found. We need information, and we need it fast. and what about the children?"

Iruka's expression shifted ' to that of a more serious but satisfied teacher.

"There are a few who stand out from the others, although I wouldn't underestimate anyone. For example, though Nara Shikamaru is almost at the bottom of the list and is seen sleeping most of the time, and most people take him for a weakling, I have no doubt that few could best him in a all out fight with him actually trying and using his excellent understanding of strategies. This year's number one student Hyuuga Neji passed with top grades in all tests. Uchiha Sasuke of the next year isn't that far behind him."

"Uchiha Sasuke", Sarutobi repeated.

"Yes. The sole survivor of _THAT_ clan."

Sarutobi shifted uncomfortably. He had tried to prevent certain incidents from taking place but he had never really succeeded. Danzo never made it look easy for him.

"Is something troubling you Hokage-sama?"

Iruka's voice seemed to bring Sarutobi back to reality.

"Nothing. I think that will be all. I will need you to inform me in advance about the test and the ceremony. I have many issues pending to deal with, particularly the Chuunin exams which will have to be hosted by us two year from now. We need to prepare for it."

"I will Hokage-sama. I'll let you know when the preparations are complete."

After bowing a little, Iruka vanished in a puff of smoke. Sarutobi looked sideways and saw another person not wearing the usual Konoha ninja uniform hurrying towards him. But Sarutobi recognized him to be a ninja from his behavior.

"Hokage-sama, I apologize if I'm intruding", said the ninja, "The elders have requested that you meet them right away in the sitting room."

Sarutobi sighed. They were going to start another war of words with him regarding Naruto. "Inform them that I'll be there right away."

"Yes Hokage-sama", said the ninja and he set off at a fast pace.

Sarutobi chanced another glance at the ninja as he hurried away and recognized that he was one of Danzo's black ops from his clothing. He sighed again and began walking to meet the advisors. It was going to be a long day.

*****************************

Sunlight poured into a room from an open window onto three people and furniture in the room. Two of them, both elderly (a male and a female), were seated on chairs. The other person stood near the window looking at the sky. His right eye was completely covered with bandages and wrinkles and scars showed on his face. He used a walking stick to support himself in his right hand and threw furtive glances at the closed door. Suddenly the door opened to admit Hiruzen Sarutobi who strode across the room stopping in front of the elders. The man near the door stiffened a little on seeing him and clutched his walking stick even more tightly. The elders however calmly rose from their seats and wore identical stubborn expressions.

"So you came immediately Sarutobi. Good. Let us be comfortable while we discuss," the male of the elders said and motioned to two other chairs.

"What is this about?" demanded Sarutobi "You know very well that I have dispatched the best ANBU ninjas available in konoha to investigate Naruto's matter. I have also requested aid from our ally, the Sand village although I haven't mentioned the exact reason for it. What else can I do?"

The man near the window glanced at the elders who were still calm despite Sarutobi's outburst.

"And what about Naruto, Sarutobi? We haven't made the slightest bit of progress in locating him yet," said the elderly woman.

"Regarding what else you can do", the male of the elders continued, "Perhaps I can at least remind you that he's missing since a few years?"

Sarutobi's mouth tightened. He suddenly looked like a weary old man still struggling to walk the next step. He looked at the man standing near the window and he shook his head.

"What has HE got to do anything with this?" he asked, "I thought this was sworn to secrecy as much as possible?"

"Now...now…Hiruzen let's not be nasty about this shall we?" said the man walking away from the window as he drew nearer.

"Danzo is well aware of the situation Sarutobi and you would do well to appreciate help from any corner in Konoha" said the female elder.

"But Koharu-sama, it is up to me as the Hokage to deal in these matters. I should think it unwise for people to step in like this."

"As the Hokage, you have tried and didn't succeed. Show some seriousness if you have forgotten your own comrades", said Koharu and Sarutobi looked a little irritated.

"You know very well about Naruto's _special _situation. The longer he's out there, the more risky it becomes us. I trust you understand that?" asked the male elder.

"Homura-sama, you know very well that I will do whatever it is within my power to..."

"Pardon me if I'm interrupting", said Danzo (A flash of annoyance crossed Sarutobi's face) "I can help you…_Hokage-sama_" he said the last word with a barely noticeable smirk.

"I know more than anyone about your offers of _help_ Danzo. I would rather leave the village than trust the likes of you."

Danzo's smile vanished.

"Pretty words indeed Sarutobi. From a man who failed in his duty" he said.

"Enough", said Homura, "We are not here to watch an argument Danzo. Sarutobi, I thought better of you. I never imagined you of all the people would react like this."

Danzo said nothing but instead he continued to look at Sarutobi in mock expectation as though he would summon Naruto any moment.

"Fine", said Sarutobi, "Fine. Give me some time to think about it. At least until the Chuunin exams. If I'm not successful by then…"

The other three people looked on, waiting as the seconds ticked away.

"….then I will….._allow _Danzo to assist me," he finished reluctantly.

The elders seemed to relax a bit and they looked at Danzo in unison, who nodded showing his approval. The elders left the room with a "Good day to you both."

As Sarutobi turned to leave, Danzo spoke again.

"Hold on Sarutobi. Remember the Chuunin exams well. Beyond that you cannot escape with excuses. We must prune the roots well so that the great tree is not harmed. The Uchiha clan would have done better than you," he spat.

Sarutobi stopped and turned around slowly. For once there was a look of anger on his face.

"I think we all know who is an arrogant and ruthless toe rag Danzo. I don't have time to waste on your…….impossible ideals."

With that he left the room at the same moment when Danzo said in a low voice, "You will not be around for long Sarutobi. You will see. I WILL make my ideals a reality."

Sarutobi continued glaring and stalked to his tower. after reaching it, he roared out to his anbu, "Neko! Get me Kakashi. I want him here yesterday. Inform him that if he is not here postehaste, i will personally burn his _icha icha_ colection and melt down the memorial. Yamato! get me Huuga Hiashi and Inuzuka Tsume as soon as you can. Tell them i dont give a damn about their clan pride and inform that they alng with you and kakashi are taking part in a search and resce ops. I want this done and i want this done NOW! Scat."

With a hasty "Yessir", Both anbu disapeared in a swirl of leaves using shunshin.

*****************************

Minutes ticked by as panic began to dominate the personality of a blond haired boy looking at a man clad in black robes who was apparently asleep. Though he had treated Kakuzu's injuries with whatever First-Aid that he knew, Naruto knew not when his shishou would regain consciousness. He had somehow mustered all his remaining strength and fled from the hideout with his master. It had barely been an hour since Itachi and Kisame had attacked them and been repulsed. He was starting to feel tired. It was, Naruto realized, due to the enormous amount of chakra he had spent in creating AND maintaining shadow clones to lay false trails. Naruto knew that the biggest disadvantage of a single shadow clone was dividing the user's chakra into equal halves between both bodies. But a thousand shadow clones? Naruto silently agreed that it was a miracle that he was not falling unconscious due to exhaustion.

He had laid Kakuzu under the shade of a tree and sat down next to him. He didn't know where he was right now and felt pretty helpless as to what might happen next. Trees seemed to crowd together and he guessed he was somewhere in the middle of a forest before his eyelids began drifting downwards. _No_, he thought. _I cannot sleep while my sensei's life is in danger. Have to somehow….help….him…_

As he was almost overcome by another temptation to sleep, he suddenly remembered booking rooms at an inn. Another inn. Another. Another. The list seemed endless and it brought a smile to his weary face. Suddenly he was feeling refreshed as a large amount of his chakra trickled back into him greatly relaxing his body. '_The trail is set'_, thought Naruto. Now, if the other shadow clones succeeded in laying the false trails, it would give Naruto and Kakuzu the much needed chance to vanish from Akatsuki's radar. Grinning broadly, he hoisted Kakuzu onto his shoulder and began moving as fast as possible.

*****************************

A man was standing near a huge statue in a dark cave like area. The only light seemed to come from an eerie glow from a statue which had many eyes although all of them seemed to be closed at the moment. The man had black piercing all over his face and his eyes had hypnotizing spirals. He wore black robes with red clouds imprinted on them and seemed to be waiting for someone. His silent companion, a woman, stood by his side seemingly unfocused at a single spot and kept throwing glances everywhere compared to the man staring at the statue. The woman was no different in clothes as she wore the same robes.

An intruder alarm sounded and they were suddenly turning around not to kill but to watch as another man in the same clothing appeared out of thin air. He had a orange colored spiral shaped mask and along with him, another person with a half black and white face seemed to rise from the ground. The man with the mask started to speak addressing the man who had piercing all over his face.

"Kakuzu was a valuable asset wasn't he Pain?" He looked on as the other person nodded slowly.

"Our plans will be rather……hindered a little considering that we have one less member now. Kakuzo was one of the strongest members of Akatsuki. I would go as far as to say that he is great enough to trouble even Me." said Pain, "And there's also something we need to take care of first I presume?"

"Ah yes," the masked man nodded, "Difficult choices…..but then again we have no choice if a rogue goes crazy like this."

"Will you be the one to take care of him Tobi………or should I say Madara?" asked Pain.

"Not yet," said Madara looking at the man rising from the ground, grinning goofily "I daresay Tobi is still a good boy. There is time yet before I reveal myself. And that is why I thought Zetsu here is the right person for this job."

Pain and the woman looked at Zetsu who nodded and was lost in conversation with his other half.

"How do you plan to track him?" the woman asked, "Being part of Akatsuki, he would surely know our ways more than anyone else."

"You are forgetting Konan, that there is one method we use and it is known only to those who devised it," said Pain.

"I don't understand Pain……what are you thinking …..Wait, it couldn't be that he still has it on him?" wondered Konan.

"Yes", said Madara, "I asked Itachi personally and I'm sure that he did mention that Kakuzu still had it on him."

"Zetsu", said Pain, "Can you sense whether Kakuzu is still wearing his ring?"

"**Oh yeah**", said the black half, "**Seems traceable but it's……confusing somehow….almost like there are too many chakra signatures that match Kakuzu running around.**"

"_When did you come to know that?_" asked the white half.

"**When you were sleeping right now.**"

"_I was not! Besides I'm YOU after all!_"

"**Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.**"

"It's possible that Kakuzu might have set false trails to mislead us in the event that we found out about his betrayal," said Pain.

"Let's keep this to ourselves," said Madara, "The other members can be told later should the need present itself. The ring is the only sure safeguard we have."

Zetsu nodded. He turned to look at Pain.

"_Once I find him, what are your orders?_" asked the white half. At the same time, the black half asked, "**Can we eat him?"**

"Dispose of him the usual way", said Pain in a low voice, "I have no need for someone who flings stones in my face. Especially after he kept the Jinchuuriki hidden. Make sure you separate the Kyuubi kid before you make your move. It would be troublesome if he were to get in the way-more so if he got himself killed. Make sure you keep your eyes on the correct ring."

"**Understood. That's more I like it. Better kill him off right there rather than waste time dragging him all the way back,**" said the black half, "**Would be helpful if you didn't fall asleep you know.**"

The white half snorted as Zetsu sank deeper into the ground and vanished.

As Zetsu disappeared from view, Pain performed a few hand seals and touched the ground once.

"As expected from the leader of Akatsuki," said Madara who was watching with sincere interest, "You do understand that Zetsu will be suspicious if he comes back to find a barrier?"

"He should be", said Pain, "Until it's time to tell him."

Madara nodded apparently satisfied.

"In the event that Zetsu manages to capture Uzumaki Naruto, what do you plan to do with him?" asked Pain.

"We break him," Madara said remorselessly. "Then we reinforce his mind", Madara paused for a moment before continuing, "with our ideas. Once we convince him to join our cause, it will be child's play to steer him towards destroying Konoha."

Pain looked on silently. If he was thinking about anything at all, his face didn't show it. Konan however broke the silence.

"It won't be that easy to convince the Kyuubi kid. He might seek revenge against his village but at the same time, he won't greet us as allies either."

"That will be taken care of soon enough once he's brought to us," said Pain, "He stands at the centre of all our plans. He's valuable. And worst case scenario is that we have him sedated until the right time-after the first 8 are captured-then we extract Kyuubi. We dare not attempt to extract kyuubi before the gedo mahzo is properly reinforced with the chakra of the other 8 bijus. Without the power of the other 8 inside the statue, the power of the 9 tails can never be subdued. Even then, it will be a touch and go affair and will require at least 9 of us to have a cent percent chance of suppressing kyuubi no youko's chakra."

"I'll leave that to you," said Madara, "I'll be going now. Sasori no Dana has information for me regarding Orochimaru."

The next moment Madara disappeared and Pain and the woman were the only ones left in the area.

"Time is always impatient Konan and so am I. Our goals, Yahiko's goals, are going to be achieved soon when the Kyuubi falls into our hands," said Pain.

"How do you plan on convincing him……Nagato?"

"The first step," said Pain as he turned towards the statue again. His eyes glinted with sudden bright light as the statue started sinking deeper into the ground.

"The first step……is to nurture his hatred."

*****************************

_A/N:_

_I wanted to do a lot more, including a flashback on naruto's first mission, but i just could not find a way to properly include that was patly why the update was delayed. the next chapter should be interesting. please tell me what i did wrong. i am a new author and constructive crititism will do me good. and flames allways are fun to read :-p_


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